DrSharonSaline joined #CPonWGBY to discuss how building a ‘better brain’ can help children & teens with #ADHD and what parents can do to help start the process.
The SSAT: Navigating Parenting and Learning in a Remote Environment
As we navigate unusual circumstances with our children moving to remote learning during COVID-19, we know that families have questions around screen time as well as the social-emotional issues related to the physical isolation children are experiencing. We presented this webinar with information from SEL experts and welcomed questions at the end. Featured Topics
- Developing screen time rules and creating balance
- Staying current without becoming overwhelmed
- Modeling healthy habits and boundaries
- Mentoring children on technology and social media
- Dealing with social isolation, anxiety, and depression
Click logo below to watch.
IECA Insights: Female Students With ADHD: How IECs Can Help
Nia was so excited to go to college. She’d been diagnosed with inattentive attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in eighth grade and received accommodations, such as extra time on tests, preferential classroom seating, and getting copies of teachers’ notes. An executive functioning coach helped her use a calendar and organize assignments. Nia worked hard, graduated with a 3.8 GPA, and moved into her college dorm with high expectations. Sadly, six months later, she was back home. Depressed, anxious, and on academic probation, she’d isolated herself, dropped one class, and failed two. Click logo below to read more.
ADDitude Magazine: How Do I Know If My Teen Is Really Ready for College?
Your teen with ADHD has his heart set on a four-year college far from home. How do you know if he’s really ready and able to live independently while also managing a challenging college course load? The answer is rarely clear cut, but here is a plan for defining markers, gauging progress, and making a decision. Click logo below to read more.
The Philadelphia Inquirer: Homeschooling a child with ADHD? Here’s some expert advice
As you collapse into bed after another exhausting day of managing your child with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 24/7, you’re probably wondering how your family is going to survive an extended stay-at-home order. While it’s challenging enough for you to stay calm in the midst of all of the changes and unknowns of COVID-19, it’s extra tough supervising kids who struggle with academics, miss their friends and argue with their siblings. Living with a child or teen with ADHD and/or a learning disability (LD) is complicated enough without those added challenges. What can you do to ease the stress and create a home structure that works for everybody? Click logo below to read more.
Share My Lesson: Daily Schedule for ADHD Families: Remote Learning in the Time of Coronavirus
ADHD Distance Learning: Setting Up for Success The coronavirus outbreak is changing our lives by the moment, but one constant is true: You’re unsure how to manage several weeks of closed schools and social isolation with your children, who happen to have ADHD. The big questions are: What can you do to set up a family plan that fosters more cooperation and less arguing during this unsettled time of COVID-19? How can you devise a plan that you can actually follow and your kids will buy into? We know that kids with ADHD benefit from structure, but what can you realistically pull off? Here is some helpful advice to get you started. Click logo below to read more.
Psychology Today: Home from College and the Novelty's Worn Off: Now What?
This is nothing you ever expected—being stuck at home 24/7 with your parents and siblings while being separated from your friends, your school and your job. Academic, social and financial changes increase your stress with no clear solutions in sight. It's natural to feel disappointed, confused, angry or worried. Plus, living around your family makes it tough not to fall back into old family patterns. All you want is to hold onto your independent identity but your life's been turned upside down. Now what? Click logo below to read more.
Negative Assumptions about Students with Disabilities
Yes, we are all more than our diagnosis, but negative assumptions about students with disabilities run rampant in our culture.
Often kids with learning disabilities are seen as less intelligent or competent by peers or adults. Sadly, they may begin to believe that they are ‘less than,’ lower their expectations for themselves and isolate from friends.
The current trend in US education is towards the integration of different types of learners in elementary and secondary school classrooms, not creating homogeneous learning situations. These diverse environments help break down barriers between young people and offer valuable opportunities for them to connect. They reduce the stigma associated with having a learning disability and being seen as ‘different’ in a judgmental light. A child who may be dyslexic but quick with math will see other students who also juggle their own strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps someone writes well but spells poorly or another student excels at algebra but struggles with geometry. Maybe the kickball game at recess levels the academic playing field and what happens in the classroom is long forgotten with a winning home run.
In my book, “What your ADHD child wishes you knew: Working together to empower kids for success in school and life,” I interviewed dozens of kids with ADHD who told me, overwhelmingly, that they do not like being singled out because they have ADHD. They consider it a part of who they are—not the whole story—and they are trying their best to figure out how to accept the brains they have and spend time doing what they love. Often, they turn to non-ADHD friends for feedback, guidance and support. One high school senior told me that she really benefits from doing homework with her non-ADHD boyfriend because he notices when she’s spacing out and calls her back to the task at hand. Another boy is grateful to his group of friends who patiently repeat something in a group conversation if he misses it as they all laugh together. These kids want to do well and fit in as much as any teen.
Inclusion programs provide essential interactions and relationships between kids, replacing feelings of isolation with normalcy. Ultimately what matters is who a person is, not what they can or can’t do. Kids are much more likely to take this perspective when they have natural, unforced contact with each other.
Academic Support for Teens & College Students
School-based interventions improve academic performance and social relationships.
For high school students with ADHD who already run a higher risk for underachievement and dropping out than neurotypical kids, having support services can make all the difference. This recent study also showed that whatever services kids receive in elementary school are often discontinued as they mature. It’s a sad irony I’ve seen too many times: when kids with ADHD have useful scaffolding and are doing better, the services are later withdrawn because of their success. Instead, these interventions need to remain in place to help with the increasing executive functioning demands for independence in middle and high school. When students receive appropriate levels of support during these years, it makes the transition to college or trade school more successful.
For high school and college students who have a diagnosis of ADHD but have never received psychological testing, I highly recommend that you get this because these assessments will identify your cognitive strengths and challenges..... Read More of my advice in Psychology Today.
Strategize Now to Set up a Successful School Year
Gather your strength--it's time to set the alarms, make the lunches and buy the supplies. School is starting again. How can you avoid frustration and arguments to create the smooth transition that everybody wants? By relying on Compassion, Collaboration and Consistency, you can work with your child or teen to set a positive tone for the year.
Many kids with ADHD feel mixed about the return to school. While they may be excited to see their friends, they often dread the return to academics, waking up early and the responsibility of homework. If they struggled last year, they may worry about repeating the same challenges or facing new, unexpected ones.
- Before talking with them, take a few moments to summon your Compassion. Reflect on some of the highs and lows for your son or daughter from last year. How did they meet those challenges? What types of support from you or their teachers was helpful? Jot down some of your ideas. Before moving forward, remember that kids with ADHD are doing the best they can with the limited resources available to them in a given moment. They need you to understand this before approaching any plan for this year.
2. Make a time to talk with your child or teen about this upcoming year so you can Collaborate on a plan for success. Ask them to recall successes and challenges and, if they can't think of anything, offer some reminders from your notes. Together, make a list of useful supports--anything from setting several alarms in the morning to emailing a copy of homework in case they forget to turn it in to breaking up study periods with timed breaks. Then, make a list of common distractions or obstacles you both anticipate could arise this year.
3. Evaluate both your expectations for the year and theirs. Consistency relies on regular efforting, not perfection. We want to nurture resiliency by acknowledging how kids with ADHD are trying to do stuff and improve themselves. You're looking for progress, not perfection. There are three types of goals to consider: easily attainable (things they can definitely achieve or have already been doing), working on/within reach (things they accomplish but require supervision or help) and mostly reach goals (things that are sporadically achieved). For now focus on one easily attainable goal and one working on/within reach goal. You can expand this list as the year progresses. 
By keeping things simple, you increase the chance for success and we want children and teens to feel as positive as possible right now. Feeling successful early in the year has a snowball effect: they notice their competence and want to build on it. Using Compassion, Collaboration and Consistency, you'll create a strong foundation for a great year!
Recent College Grads: Adjustments, Parents' Role, Jobs and Adult Life
What are some of the adjustments that recent college grad kids will be making?
Recent college grads have many adjustments to make. Not only are they saying good-bye to many of their friends, a familiar surrounding and a student lifestyle, but they are also facing the uncertainty of what comes next. Even if someone has a job and an apartment lined up (these are huge things to swing for many recent college grads), they are leaving behind a structure of going to school and an identity of being a student. Friends disperse, they are responsible for paying their own bills, and self-sufficient adulthood, while longed for, can be overwhelming. Many new college grads aren’t accustomed to creating and living on a budget, shopping for and cooking meals and making plans to spend time with friends instead of bumping into them at the cafeteria. It’s a huge shift in many areas simultaneously.
How can parents and loved ones can help ease the transition?
It’s important that parents and loved ones acknowledge the enormity of this transition and don’t compare their own experiences with those of their children. Things have changed a lot and many young adults struggle under the burden of huge financial debt, a high cost of living and a tight job market. Staying compassionate, offering to assist them and collaborate on tasks and being available to talk through emotions related to this change is most helpful. Don’t solve issues: offer your suggestions and avoid getting hurt if they aren’t taken. Young adults often like to figure things out for themselves, which means trial-and-error learning. Sometimes the best support you can give is managing your own frustrations, sharing your feelings without blame or guilt and validating their successes.
What are some tips for applying to jobs, moving home, and how to adapt a healthy routine in adult life?
Having a daily routine offers structure and freedom. It’s critical to set aside a specific period of time for applying to jobs each day so this activity has boundaries. Looking for job can be exciting but it’s also tedious and sometimes deflating. It can spread into all aspects of your life as the list of things you should be doing keeps growing. Avoidance accompanies discouragement and overwhelm. Talk with your son or daughter about marking off a few hours each day (preferably in the morning to get it over with) for job hunting online, responding to emails or dropping off resumes. This will assist them in feeling accomplished each day and competent as well because they’ve done something in a time frame that they laid out. Then they can do whatever they want. Help young adults limit screen time: advocate for doing other things that interest them and make them feel good. Exercise, time with friends, shopping and cooking with you--these are all activities that contribute to healthy living. Teach them how to shop, balance their bank account, make a budget and understand their health/car insurances. These skills are not necessarily second-nature and it’s very common for recent college grads to need extra support in learning them.
Got an anxious high schooler with ADHD? Help is here.
Many teens today feel extremely overwhelmed and anxious, especially those who are out-of-the-box thinkers. Life seems constantly demanding and stressful. With the executive functioning challenges that are typical of ADHD brains, it's even harder for them to regulate intense feelings. Routine concerns can quickly balloon into outright panic. Approximately 35% of kids with ADHD have also been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. In my clinical experience, this number seems higher. After hearing over the years about about the ways that they miss the mark, don't measure up and differ from other kids, these kids develop an internal vigilance--a nervousness--about the next time they will inadvertently stumble, what people will think of them and how to deal with the inevitable consequences. These worries fosters overt or covert anxiety. I've asked teens with ADHD to describe the two things that cause them the most anxiety. Here's what they’ve told me that they wish adults knew:
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- They can’t keep up with 24/7 demands of their lives--whether it's in real time or on social media. They struggle to regulate themselves regarding technology, understand social nuances and keep track of events and responsibilities. Their parents don’t see or understand all of the nuances they are dealing with.
Solution: Despite their words or actions to the contrary, teens actually want their parents to set limits on technology and help them manage. Parents, befriend your children on all social media outlets and help them manage FOMO. Talk with your teens about appropriate responses to relationship challenges both online and in person. Help them distinguish when to engage and how. Create screen-free family time at meals. Ask them to share an online, Youtube or musical interest or hobby with you so you can understand and participate in their world
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- They feel enormous pressure about school, the college process and what to do after high school. Some teens with ADHD drive themselves too hard, over-focus on achieving good grades and keeping up with their friends. Going to the ‘right’ college becomes more important than pursuing what best fits their interests. Other kids, in the face of repeated academic difficulties, adopt a "why bother even trying" attitude. They've lost the interest and impetus to make efforts. Too often, in all of these scenarios, parents will push their children based on their expectations of who they think their teen should be. Arguments and disappointment abound.
Solution: Meet your teen where they are, not where you want them to be or think they should be. Development is an organic process that doesn’t necessarily unfold in a linear fashion. This is especially true for kids with ADHD, learning differences or high functioning autism. Their brains need more time to mature and they may benefit from an alternative path for a while until things fall more into place. Be open to thinking about alternatives. Maybe your son who likes video games and art might be better suited for a vocational program in computer design than conventional academics. Perhaps your daughter who excels at soccer but hates writing might benefit from being an assistant coach for a gap year. Offer guidance and support with an open mind. Of course, you can't erase your teen's anxiety. But, you can help them reduce it by monitoring their overwhelm, showing interest in their on-screen activities and keeping perspective on post-high school options. 
The Inquirer, Daily News, Philly: How can I help my child with ADHD have a successful school year?
Start the school off right. Helpful recommendations to get students with ADHD – and their parents – organized and focused. continue reading…
ONE37pm: How to Use Hyperfocus for Success, and Not Get Sucked into the Vortex
How to Use Hyperfocus for Success, and Not Get Sucked into the Vortex
“You know that zone when you become so immersed in work that the rest of the world fades away? You accomplish a lot, but you also forget to eat, sleep, or interact with other humans.
Then there’s the flip, when you’re working on the computer only to get sucked into an interesting but tangential topic, sending you down a rabbit hole of articles, blog posts and YouTube videos. You accomplish nothing, but boy you sure do learn a lot about the history of Reggaeton….”
Kids In The House: Collaboration is the key for back-to-school success with ADHD kids
“As schools open their doors for students, it’s time once more to begin thinking about the year ahead. For many kids, and especially those with ADHD, summer is a huge relief from academic and social pressures. Most of them don’t relish the return to classes and would rather think about anything else. How can you set your child up for success?”
Back-to-School Basics: Collaboration Leads to Academic Success
As schools open their doors for students, it’s time once more to begin thinking about the year ahead. For many kids, and especially those with ADHD, summer is a huge relief from academic and social pressures. Most of them don’t relish the return to classes and would rather think about anything else. How can you set your child up for success? 
Most parents of kids with and without ADHD harbor a number of goals for their children related to school: learn and retain information, obtain good grades, behave appropriately, etc. These are all important facets of a thorough education. But children and teens with ADHD need something more. Struggling academically and/or socially, they benefit from goals that address their strengths while shoring up their challenges. If your son doesn’t like math but loves creative writing, how can his interest be incorporated into learning algebra? If your daughter adores art and doing things with her hands, how can she do science or history projects that capitalize on her skills? Approaching this year with an eye towards including such possibilities will improve your child’s engagement and performance. Setting a positive course for this year depends on collaborating with your son or daughter to establish clear goals and useful strategies. Kids with ADHD spend a lot of time listening to what they could do differently from caring adults, friends, coaches, etc. They often believe that feedback is a euphemism for criticism. Well-intentioned suggestions may not fit with how their ADHD brains think and make it tough to follow through. If kids with ADHD aren’t able to express what makes sense to them and have it become part of a problem-solving process, any sound advice will likely fall flat. I’m not saying that a young person should dictate what’s going to happen. Rather, I’m advocating that you include some of their opinions in whatever program you create to ensure their buy-in. When they feel like their ideas matter, these kids are far more likely to cooperate. 
Start this school year with a calm, honest family conversation. This chat sets the tone for how you will work together to make it a success. Ask yourself and your son or daughter these questions:
- What do you hope for your son or daughter this year?
- What went well last year and why?
- Can you identify any behaviors or decisions that made a positive difference?
- What were some of the challenges? What improved them?
- What type of teacher feedback did you receive that would be useful this year?
- What, if any, concerns do you have about this year?
Write down everyone’s answers and look for overlaps. Together, decide on a goal that would address your mutual concerns. Pick one that would be the easiest to start with (an early success builds confidence) and begin to brainstorm a plan for working on it. Write down these ideas too and post your new plan in the kitchen. This way everybody can refer back to it. Establish a weekly time to check in on the progress toward your goal. When it’s going well, consider adding a new goal but keep up your encouragement and support for the first one. Good luck and here’s to great beginnings! 
22 News Mass Appeal: ADHD Study Tips
Kids with ADHD have insight into what works well for them, and what doesn’t. Collaborate! I explain how parents and kids can work together to build routines, expectations, and incentives.
Worthington Direct Blog: HOW DOES A CLASSROOM DESIGN AFFECT A CHILD’S ABILITY TO LEARN? 14 MEDICAL & EDUCATIONAL EXPERTS WEIGH IN…
Student outcomes are the most relevant factor when it comes to measuring the success of a learning environment. Though classroom design has an important influence on learning achievement, the majority of time is spent on traditional methods of enhancing the learning progress, such as executing standardized tests, professional growth for educators, and advancement or mediation courses for students. Thanks to a growing awareness of the profound impact classroom design can have on the educational achievements of students, opinions on classroom design are changing, as educators are making strides toward constructing optimal learning environments with the goal of meeting the educational needs of various groups of students. Read more here!
Avoiding the Homework Hassle
It's 5:30 p.m. You have arrived home from work with a pizza for dinner to find a pile of dishes in the sink, the television blaring and your kids' stuff strewn on the kitchen counter. To make matters worse, you received a phone call earlier in the day from your son's fifth grade teacher letting you know that he hasn't been doing or turning in his homework and will miss recess for the rest of the week to catch up. You are both tired of the homework battles. Yet you, as the adult, have to muster up the energy to talk about the dreaded topic of homework and, even worse, to supervise it. How can you manage this situation effectively and successfully? First, it is important for you to take a deep breath and ask yourself what matters most right now. That answer should involve connecting positively with your child. Your child or teen spends most of her day struggling to do the work she is assigned in class and to focus while she is in school. She is trying to keep it all together. When school is over, she needs a break from studying--whether it is time playing outside or doing sports, time in an after-school program with activities she likes, time doing she loves like playing music or time just being with friends. Her brain needs to do something different. Your job is to support this break in whatever way your can. The key to successfully beating back the homework monster is to make sure that she knows this break is time-limited AND that homework lies on the other side of it. 
Secondly, it is critical that you create an incentive-based structure for doing homework with your child or teen. Ask him how long he thinks he can work without getting distracted. For kids with ADHD under 10, this period can vary from 10-20 minutes. For kids between 10-14, it's usually 15-30 minutes and for teens between 14-18, it's likely 30-50 minutes. Then, set up a plan that you BOTH agree on. This plan includes establishing work periods for these agreed upon amounts of time which are then broken up by TIMED breaks of no longer than 10 minutes. Breaks can include snacks, texting, Facebook, a phone call, walking around the house or going to the bathroom. The plan should also address the length of total studying time. At the end of the desired study period, your child has earned a reward which you must agree on. For one family, that reward could be one show on television; for another, it could be a specific amount of computer time; for a third, it could be reading a story together on the sofa. Whatever works for your family and is interesting for your child or teen is a good choice. REMEMBER, kids with ADHD get bored with routines so you will likely have to update or change this reward regularly. 
Initially, you may have to work alongside your child or teen to make sure that work is actually occurring during this period and to answer any academic questions that could arise. You can call this 'family work time' and use the opportunity to catch up on your own stuff (balancing the checkbook, answering emails, reading an article of interest). Often, it helps to go over the various homework assignments before starting and then make sure they are completed at the end. If your child is stuck and wants your assistance, then please give it. Otherwise, try, try and try some more to keep your comments about how he could do things different (re: better) to yourself. Reviewing the work itself is tricky: sometimes it makes your child feel bad about what's been done instead of good about completing it because the focus becomes the errors in the work. I advise you to let the teacher correct the work for mistakes and for you to provide a supportive, consistent environment to do the homework. Lastly, celebrate when you have a successful homework period by pointing out what you noticed that went well. For instance, "I liked how you stopped doing your math at break time but then went right back to it" or "I see how hard you are working on that English paper and I am proud of you." These comments go a long way towards building self-confidence and emphasizing the positive efforts your son or daughter is making!
Settling Back into School with Success
Once the excitement of returning to school wears off, it's time to assess how well the transition to school has actually been going. By now, the patterns of waking up early, doing homework and managing activities has settled in--for better or for worse--and the carefree days of summer may seem long past. Your daughter may be happily embracing the new experiences of school or she may be slugging through them. Your son may be doing his homework diligently or spending more time texting than actually studying. Whatever the situation, taking some time to evaluate this first month is a worthwhile effort towards creating a year of effective and engaged learning. It can also help you lower any stress that may be starting to creep into your family life. First, it is critical to reflect privately on how this month has unfolded: what has worked and what has not. I think it is always helpful to jot down some notes about your thoughts not only to remember them but also because writing often clarifies our thinking. Then, get input from your child's teachers or guidance counselor via email or phone calls, also taking some notes. If you have not made contact with these people before, introduce yourself and the conversation as a chance to check in. If you have spoken with them already, getting an update is still useful. Make sure to inquire if any 766 (IEP) or 504 accommodations are being followed and how they are implemented. (If they aren't, then arrange a meeting ASAP!) Next, arrange a time to chat with you child to get his/her perspective. Discuss successes and challenges--academic, social, athletic. Look for specifics. This chat is not about criticism, blame or evaluation: it's based on your curiosity about how things are going for them. Review your mutual goals for this year and whether this month has been on track towards obtaining them. Share some of the positive information you have received from the school. Help your child understand the ways that she has already adjusted to the new year. 
Talk about the family practices related to school. How are the mornings and evenings going? Do you need to post a schedule or a list of reminders? Is there an appropriate study space for your son? Is your daughter's notebook organized in a way that makes sense for her? Can you monitor technology and social media use (overuse)? Together, pick one area of improvement based on your thoughts, teacher/guidance counselor feedback and your child's own impressions. Make a simple, straightforward plan for addressing this issue, positively and concretely. Try it for one month and check in weekly about how it's going. Establish a regular, weekly meeting of 5-10 minutes (maximum) so there is no chance of your child feeling nagged. Follow up with the school too as the month unfolds. At the end of the month, decide together if there has been sufficient progress on this issue or if it would still benefit from more attention. If you both agree that things are moving along well, you can mutually pick another one or just continue what is already working. Remember to stay as positive as you can, noticing your child's efforts as well as the outcomes!